Reappearance of the Samurai
by Final Destin8ion
Summary: For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka
1. Chapter 1

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, **

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 1**

The park was peaceful; with the wind blowing hundreds of fallen sakura leaves in the same direction. Under a particularly large sakura tree, a group of about six boys stood while an older man close by. One of the boys faced the others with a stoic expression. His blond hair was being blown by the one and the sakura petals seemed to dance around him. The man behind him didn't say anything.

"Well, it's been fun." Said Kikumaru Eiji, the redhead of the group. He sounded like he was trying to sound happy, even though he wasn;t. He most likely didn't have school, because he wore a pair of silky white shorts and an orange hoodie. Tezuka Kunimitsu, the boy standing opposite from the group nodded, but didn't say anything.

"We wish you luck, Tezuka-kun." Said the former tennis powerhouse Kawamura Takashi solemly. Tezuka's eyes twitched sligtly and his head dropped a little, but he said nothing.

"It has been an honour to play with you Tezuka-kun. I hope you have fun and accomplish your dreams." Said the genius Fuji Syusuke. His brown hair had grown a bitter darker over the years, but mostly retained its form. Tezuka, dying to say something, turned to look at Oishi Syuchirou.

"Thank you Tezuka-kun, for helping me...for helping us find ourselves and find each other. We wish you luck on your journey." The former vice-captain of Seishun Gakuen said. Finally, it was Tezuka's turn to speak. He looked into every person's eyes before turning back to Oishi.

"Thank you all for your support, for you all...I will play my very best in the Australian Open." Tezuka said in his usual, commanding voice. Fuji smiled while everyone else cheered loudly. He looked at Tezuka and then grabbed everyone's attention.

"Tezuka-kun, here is something for the road. I hope you enjoy yourself." The brunette said, pushing his hand out. In it was a CD player with a set of headphones on top of it, but Tezuka didn't have a clue what was on it. He looked at Fuji and nodded and gave Fuji a 'thank you.'

"Well, our plane leaves soon, so we better get going. Thank you all again." Said Inoue, who would be acting as Tezuka's interpreter as well as an advisor (although Tezuka's parents would be his agents). With a final good-bye, Tezuka stepped into Inoue's car and the two drove off. The four high school sophomores that were left slowly turned and walked away.

**On the Plane**

_"Hello Tezuka, this is Fuji and what you are about to hear is just something I thought you'd like. Good luck, we will all be rooting for you..."_ Tezuka waited for the CD player to switch to the next 'song', ready to listen to music. However, despite all of his warnings, Tezuka found that he had let his guard down. The next voice wasn't a singer:

_"Ah, Tezuka, this is Ore-Sama. Fuji is here getting people to give you a good-bye. Anyway, you'd better not lose Tezuka. I'll be watching you and remember 'yuudan sezou ni ikou'."_ Tezuka chuckled and Inoue beside him had a look of surprise on his face but quickly hid it and started looking out the window.

_Thank you...Fuji-kun_, Tezuka thought.

**In America**

"My sons are taking part in the Australian Open...I'm so proud!" Said the 'Samurai' Echizen Nanjiroh with false sadness. His fourteen-year-old son Echizen Ryoma rolled his eyes. Also in the large car where Ryoma's mom, his older cousin Nanako and his older half-brother Ryoga (who was also taking part). The five were driving to an airport in New York, in order to get to Australia for the Australian Open. It was a normal family outting, albeit one formed from three tennis champions.

"So, Ryoga-kun, Ryoma-kun; are you two excited?" Nanako asked. The half-brothers merely shrugged, but it was only Ryoga who said something.

"I guess it's something new." Ryoga said. He had been in college while the rest of the Echizen family was in Japan and was astounded to hear about his little brother's prowess. Of course, Ryoga was still the better of the two.

**Hours later, at the Open**

"Hello to you all, I'm so glad that you could make it!" Said a dark-haired man with tan skin and an Australian accent. He had a rugged face and was one of the few adults in a room full of teenagers aged between 14 and 19. All of them were facing him, as he was the adult who was about to tell them what to do.

"Now, don't take what I'm about to say offensively, but because of your ages, the board has decided to hold a preliminary competition that will cut the lot of us down to about sixteen or eighteen." The man began. He noticed a couple of translators doing their job for foreign kids as well as those who could understand him glaring.

"Trust me, it's not to be discrimatory or anything, but if we have a bunch of kids losing to adults, spectators, espcially loved ones, are going to try to argue and then everything just turns into a big mess. So that's why, we're doing this on live TV so that all spectators can see that any losses, either by adolescent or adult, will have nothing to do with age; but everything to do with skill. With that, I now have to go set up the tournament. You all stay here and socialize or head back to the AO Hotel." The orator, Mr. Johnson Casey, said over the murmuring crowd. Seeing a few nods of understanding, he left.

**A few minutes later**

Taking in what Inoue translated for him, Tezuka nodded. The sixteen-year-old took a glance around, but saw nobody familiar. And so he turned to leave. And that's when a semi-familiar voice called out to him.

"Tezuka-san?" The voice wasn't deep, but wasn't high either. When Tezuka turned around, he saw an amber-eyed boy with spiky black (with blue and green tones) who was a head under him. The boy wore a pair of loose white shorts and a electric blue t-shirt. Tezuka didn't understand what was written on the shirt, but he knew the boy wearing it, though it took him a while to recognize him.

"E-Echizen?!" Tezuka said. Once again, he had disregarded his own advice and let down his guard. The blond and his former kouhai looked each other in the eye before Ryoma smirked.

"Ryoma? Is that you? It's been two years since I last saw you? How have you been?" Inoue blurted. Ryoma blinked and then looked between Tezuka and Inoue. Tezuka quickly deduced the obvious: Ryoma didn't remember Inoue.

"Um, good...so, uh, Tezuka-san, how have you been?" Ryoma asked uncertainly. Inoue's sudden excitement more or less creeped him out. Tezuka smiled inside, but didn't actually show any emotion.

"I have been doing fine. So you will participating I presume," Tezuka said as a boy who looked a little Ryoma walked up behind Ryoma. The other boy had darker skin and his hair stood flat, but Tezuka could see the resemblance regardless.

"Yeah, my brother and me are going to be taking part. I'm guessing you are too?" Ryoma replied. Although the younger boy couldn't tell, being in America for a while had drastic effects on his speech. It was more casual and formal, even in the presence of a senpai. Then Tezuka remembered: He was no longer Ryoma's senpai...just a friend.

"I will look forward to playing against you. Yuudan sezou ni ikou." Tezuka said, imparting some last wisdom to his new rival before leaving for the hotel. As Tezuka slowly began disappeared, Ryoma chuckled.

"Who was that?" Ryoga asked in Japanese.

"My old captain, from Seigaku, -"

"RYOMA!!" Shouted a loud voice. Ryoma cringed in annoyance. Ryoga backed away from the dark aura enmating from his little brother. As Ryoma turned, Kevin Smith came closer and closer. The blond was wearing a black tanktop along with khaki shorts. A pair of sunglasses adorned his forehead. Ryoma's amber eyes glared into Kevin's blue ones. Ryoma sighed.

"You know I _hate_ when people do that." Ryoma said, switching from Japanese to English effortlessly, though the accent stuck for a few seconds.

"Do what?" Kevin asked innocently. Ryoma glanced at his tennis racquet and shifted between hands experimentally. Then he pushed all thoughts of whacking Kevin with it out of his mind. That would probably get him disqualified.

"Shout my name across a huge group of people." Ryoma said with another sigh. Sometimes Kevin was impossible. Other times he just needed to be hit with something. He really did give blonds a bad name. Kevin blinked and looked a little lost before achieving some kind of epiphany.

"Oh, sorry, I kinda did it on impulse. I saw ya, so I shouted." Kevin said sheepishly. Ryoma rolled his eyes.

"Just like you do everything, huh?" Ryoma asked. Kevin beamed.

"Yep!" The blond exclaimed.

**Okay, well there it is. I'm sorry that I kept chopping up the story, but I hope I didn't screw it up too bad. Anyway, please review. Also, if i get at least ten reviews askin for pairings, I'll make 'em happen, but I dont rly like doin romance, so yeah. Anyway, here is a little deleted scene from earlier.**

_"Ah, Tezuka-senpai, this is Momo. Guess what? I was at the Jr. High and baa-chan told me that HORIO is the captain! Can you believe it? Well anyway, good luck senpai_


	2. Chapter 2

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, **

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 2**

**Final Destin8ion-kun doesn't not not own Prince of Tennis**

By 9:00 at night, Tezuka really needed to sleep. Jetlag had made itself known, much to his chagrin. Ryoma's brother, Ryoga, had convinced the 16-year-old to stay in the same room as themselves and Kevin. Ryoma and Kevin would occasionally come into the room, talk a little while or watch TV, then leave again to do some unknown activity. At 9:15, the two had just left as Ryoga came out of the shower.

"You already took your shower, right?" Ryoga asked with his usual carefree grin. Tezuka nodded. He had been busy pondering the changes in Ryoma. For one, his former kouhai was much more relaxed and fun-loving (if still not aloof and obnoxious). Another thing that bothered Tezuka was that he hadn't seen Ryoma play yet.

"How much better has Echizen, er, Ryoma gotten?" Tezuka finally asked Ryoga, who was flipping through the channels. Ryoga gave him a surprised look that slowly turned into a sly smile.

"Ah, trying to get a leg up on the competition, huh? I'm just kidding. From what Ryoma's told me about you, that doesn't seem like a very Tezuka thing to do. As for your question, that's tough to answer. And _that's_ because Ryoma has completely scrapped the tennis style that you've grown used to him playing with." Ryoga began. Tezuka blinked, startled.

"By 'scrapped', you mean he no longer uses his Drive techniques?" Tezuka asked, amazed. Ryoga nodded with a smirk.

"Yep. He now uses a style known as 'The Samurai', named after my father. However, the name is the only similarity. That's all I'm going to tell you though." Ryoma's older half-brother said.

"I see. And what about you? And Kevin too?" Tezuka asked. Ryoga chuckled and then looked at the door.

"Well personally, like my dad, I prefer to use the Drives. Much easier to use. As for Kevin...well frankly, I've never seen him play. I've heard Ryoma compare him to some kid named Atobe though." Once again, Tezuka took the news with surprise. Kevin was comparable to Atobe?

"Well now it's your turn. Ryoma described your style as 'simple, but tricky and hard to play against.' " Ryoga said, casting an excited look into Tezuka's eyes. It was a look Tezuka had never seen on Ryoma. Tezuka, being as vague as possible, told Ryoga about his Zero-Shiki (but didn't tell him about the serve) and the Tezuka Zone (but only hinted at the Phantom).

"Yo!" Kevin said, walking into the room with Ryoma in tow. Tezuka looked at the two fourteen year olds in a new light. Especially Ryoma.

"Are you okay Tezuka-san?" Ryoma asked. Tezuka nodded and then got ready to go to sleep.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Tezuka was the first person awake. According to his cell phone, it was 6' in the morning. The tournament would be starting in four hours. Ryoma and Kevin were both sleeping in the same bed while Ryoga slept on the couch (which actually looked really comfortable). The TV was on some kind of American show that Tezuka ignored. Looking around, Tezuka sat up and went to go get dressed.

**7 minutes later**

When Tezuka came out, he saw Kevin messing with an iPod nano. One half of it was in his ear while the other was in Ryoma's ear. Tezuka couldn't tell whether or not the latter was up or not.

"Good morning Tezuka-san." Kevin said politely and surprisingly in Japanese. Tezuka quickly recovered.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?" The older boy asked.

"Good I suppose. It's not really home though. Ryoga already went to get breakfast. This loser probably won't wake up for another couple of hours." Kevin said. Without warning, Ryoma's hand pinched the pressure point just above Kevin's knee.

"Not a loser." Ryoma mumbled. Tezuka found himself hoping that Ryoma was awake. It would be kind of creepy if he weren't.

"Good morning Echizen." Tezuka greeted. Ryoma didn't reply and Kevin sighed.

"He kind of slips between consciousness and unconsciousness for a while before he finally gets up." Kevin explained. With a nod, Tezuka placed his clothes inside of a spare pouch in his suitcase and then exited the room. He looked back once more to see Ryoma open his eyes for a few seconds before closing them again.

"Yo, Tezuka!" Ryoga called. Tezuka looked up to see Ryoga with a relaxed and cocky smile on his face. Without replying, Tezuka went to sit by his new acquantince (sp?).

"Good morning." Tezuka greeted calmly.

"Good morning." Ryoga replied just as calmly. Tezuka looked into Ryoga's eyes, but saw nothing familiar. Except for the hunger to win, something that he had seen in Ryoma's eyes before.

_"Ah, hello Tezuka-senpai...this is Kaidou and I just wanted to say good luck...fsshhhhhhhh."_

**Um...yeah...sorry about the updating but um, if you haven't noticed...I kinda suck at it. Anyway, I hope you guys are enjoying the story. And if you're not: Tell me what I can do to make it better. Thanks for the reviews. FD out**


	3. Chapter 3

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, **

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 3**

**Final Destin8ion-kun doesn't not not own Prince of Tennis**

The tournament grounds consisted of four normal-sized tennis courts spaced about five feet apart from each other. As the bus from AO Hotel arrived at the scene, the passengers inside could already feel the intense, dry Australian heat. Tezuka suppressed a groan as he got out. Being from Tokyo, he did not mix well with hot and dry. His three roommates seemed fine though. Tezuka had been surprised to see that that it only took two busses to fit 130 kids (uncomfortably yes, but still they all fit).

"You three ready?" Ryoga asked with a grin. Tezuka looked up at him and then at the courts. His mouth twitched towards a smile of anticipation, but he remained mostly stoic. The other players piled out of the busses. Then a blue sports car came driving up to the courts. All of the teenagers as the man from the day before stepped out of his car. Before continuing, he introduced himself Louis Wolfe.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all had a good night's sleep. And now, for our little tournament." Louis said as he made a sweeping movement with his hands. Tezuka eyed the courts. He could see security cameras and high-speed cameras posted at the corners of each court, each of which was surrounded by a metal fence. Camera crews were stationed at all of the courts.

"Hm, this should be interesting." Kevin said in Japanese. Looking down, Tezuka noticed that Kevin's eyes had changed from this morning. Now they were narrower as if he was focusing on every single aspect of every single thing in sight.

"I just hope it doesn't become a reality show." Ryoma said with a shrug. Louis started talking again.

"Now, let me talk to you about this tournament. Boys and girls will be having separate tennis tournaments and the matches will all be single, 1 set, six matches. All matches will be held here. There is a clay court and a grass court for each gender and once again, the court you receive will be random. The matches will be organized in a tournament style, loser-out format. The entire first round should be done in about three days. The tournament will officially begin in 30 minutes. You will all be provided with two water bottles. It is imperative that you keep yourself hydrated. We have four doctors standing by in the unfortunate case that an accident occurs. I cannot stress enough the importance of staying hydrated here..." Louis didn't say anything for a while. Then he smiled. And as he did, four huge monitors blinked to life so that the Australia native's smile could easily be seen from the back of the crowd.

"Good luck, mates. All of ya." Louis said. The monitors blinked again and a huge flashy AUSTRALIAN OPEN PRE-LIMS written in a fancy script adorned them.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Tezuka felt everyone look up with him to the monitors, an organization chart was displayed. There were two different charts, two on each screen. Two for the boys and two for the girls. Tezuka found himself relieved that he was not playing any of his roommates. Not because he was afraid of them. It was more because he wanted to play them later, when the stakes were higher.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Since no one in the group was playing yet; Kevin, Ryoga, Ryoma, and Tezuka had decided to watch the matches up close. The match they were observing was between Briton Jack Shine and China native Aang. Both boys were about 5'7'' and both had black hair. But that's where the similarities ended. While Jack was thin and pale, Aang Sima was tan and looked like he worked out regularly. Jack's gold and silver racquet had an above-average sized head and a closed string pattern. Aang's wood racquet seemed to be fairly normal, but the grip was just a bit smaller than normal

"1 Set Match. Sima to serve!" The referee said loudly. Aang bounced the ball a few times before throwing it into the air. As he hit the ball, one of the monitors displayed a speed of 70 mph. Jack gave a light smile, the kind that would send most girls wild, as he gently returned the ball with a forehand. Aang instantly rushed towards the net, volleying the ball. Jack's smile didn't fade as he smacked the ball to his left, Aang's right.

"This match looks pretty set in stone." Kevin said nonchalantly. Ryoga gave a shrug while Ryoma gave a small smirk.

"Mada mada dane." He said, his eyes not moving from the court. Soon, Jack had won a game 40-love. Anybody and everybody watching could see that Aang was losing his cool, not a great idea in the hot Australian sun. Jack, on the other hand, looked as cool and casual as could be. His green eyes simply gazed towards Aang, taking in every detail that could allow him to win. The difference between when he walked and ran, the way he didn't seem to tire after going from baseline to service line about six times per round. Jack let out a small chuckle as he stood up and prepared to serve. Tension built as Aang glared daggers at Jack who calmly bounced the ball up and down. Then, he served. Aang returned the ball with a backhand and immedeately went towards the net. As the ball bounced into Jack's court, the Brit moved to his right a bit in order to hit with his forehand.

"Has anyone noticed that he has yet to hit with his back hand?" Kevin asked.

"Yep. He's making it kind of obvious. Almost as if...he's challenging Sima to make him hit a backhand." Ryoga said in an Inui-like manner. Tezuka actually had to double-take in order to make sure his teammate wasn't there with him. The blond then turned back to the match. Jack had just won another point, making the score 30-love.

"Here we go again." Jack said as he served the ball. Aang let out an angry shout as he Jack Knifed the ball. Jack seemed surprised by the move as was everyone else. But Jack was the first to recover.

"Hm, that move huh?" Ryoma said, referring to Aang's Jack Knife. Ryoga smirked, but his eyes went wide in shock when he saw Jack take a few steps back. He then put his racquet close to the ground.

"The Reversal, interesting. Most pros can't even pull that one off. Let's see if he's got what it takes." Ryoga said. The Jack Knife bounced and then slammed into Jack's racquet. The Brit seemed to struggle a bit, but he managed to pull of the Reversal. With a wild smile, Aang performed another Jack Knife and then another.

"How long can you keep this up? Huh?" He asked/shouted in Chinese. Jack winced as he performed another Reversal.

"So, what's so great about this Reversal technique? It seems like just a regular forehand to me." Kevin said.

"The Reversal is an incredibly powerful defensive move that completely absorbs a shot's power and then multiplies it. I'm astonished that Sima can keep pulling off these Jack Knives. Soon, one of them is going to have to give." Ryoga said gravely as Aang continued smashing Jack Knives and Jack kept defending with the Reversal. Finally, Jack was forced to lob the ball. With incredible agility, Aang leapt into the air and smashed the ball towards the baseline. Jack glared as the ref called the point.

"Hm, this just got a lot more interesting." Jack said as he prepared to serve the ball again.

**Okay, well here's chapter 3. Once again, please forgive me for the bad updates. Hopefully, I'll be able to do better during the summer. Ugh, school is almost over. Man, I wish I had fairy godparents. Oh well, I hope you enjoy, please don't forget to review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, **

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 4**

**Still don't own this anime**

"Good job! Go Aang!" A woman shouted in English. Ryoga turned to look at her. She appeared to be in her 30's and had shoulder-length blonde hair and grey eyes. Beside her was a tall, beefy man whose black hair was tied back in a ponytail. He had a smug grin on his face. Curious, Ryoga cleared his throat, catching the twos' attention.

"Um excuse me. Do you know Aang?" He asked with no trace of an accent in his voice. Tezuka divided his attention between the match and Ryoga's conversation for a while and then went back to paying attention to the match.

"Yes, he is my foster child." The woman replied to Ryoga's question before turning back towards the match. Once again, Jack and Aang had entered a match between the Reversal and the Jack Knife. And once again, Jack lost. Regardless, he seemed to keep his cool. And prepared to serve the ball again.

"Did you two teach Aang how to play tennis?" Ryoga asked, turning again towards the couple. Surprisingly, the woman did not seem to mind being distracted from the match. Her partner, however, gave Ryoga a quick annoyed glance before turning back to the game.

My husband did, I only provided the snacks." The woman said with a small chuckle. Ryoga gave the man a slight glance. Ryoga turned just as the tie was broken in Jack's favor. He silently critiqued the Brit's every movement through his serve. Aang returned the serve with a Jack Knife and Jack winced as he tried a Reversal.

"That's the weakness of the Reversal however. It only uses one hand, whereas the Jack Knife uses both hands. Jack's wrist must be near its limit right now." Ryoga said aloud.

"Hm, quite the critic, huh?" The woman said slyly. Ryoga turned to look at her. She seemed happy to have someone to talk to and Ryoga had a feeling he already knew who was going to win at this rate.

"Well, I was born into tennis, so it's kind of second nature." Ryoga said with a smile.

"Really?"

"Yes ma'am. My dad was a former champ. He was going for the Grand Slam title before my step-mom had my little brother here." Ryoga said motioning towards Ryoma, who didn't bother turning around.

"Really? That story sounds really familiar...um, it was a really good player. My husband was obsessed with him for the longest time. Oh shoot, what was his name again...Nan-something."

"Nanjiroh. Nanjiroh Echizen." Ryoga said smoothly. The woman's husband looked down with great interest.

"You're Nanjiroh Echizen's son?"

"Yes sir I am, I-"

"Why hello, my name is Jefferey Oak and I used to be, er, still am actually, a huge fan of your father. I'm sure he doesn't want you answering, but I must ask, do you know if and/or when he will be coming back to tennis?" The man asked, showing a surpising amount of enthusiasm as he shook Ryoga's hand.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what my father is planning. I've been living in dorms for the past few years, so his agenda is completely unknown to me." Ryoga said sheepishly. Jefferey sighed.

"Darn, oh well."

"Yeah. But I must say, you have taught Aang very well. His attacks are fast and strong and he's pretty light on his feet himself."

"Well, coming from Echizen's son, that means a whole lot."

"I'm glad that you hold my opinion in such high regard." Ryoga said before politely turning back towards the match. While he had been talking, Aang had made a huge comeback. He had taken the previous game from Jack and was now halfway through winning the third match. Jack was about to serve and his right hand was trembling. Too many Reversals had caused the muscles to tire.

"Hm..." Tezuka muttered as he entered the second door of Muga no Kyouchi. Jack was, surpisingly, going to win the next point. Tezuka then removed himself from the state and continued watching the match. Jack served the ball towards the outer edge of the service line. Aang attempted a Jack Knife, but somehow the ball began spinning and quickly collided into the metal pole at the end of the net.

"Impressive serve but geez, what's with this Jack kid and all of these risky moves?" Kevin thought aloud. Aang looked up and glared at Jack who smirked.

"You're making this game really fun!" Jack said as he served the ball again with a spinning serve. The Jack Knife once again was nullified.

"It would appear that the Jack Knife has been sealed." Ryoga said aloud with a small smirk on his face. Behind him, Jefferey frowned a bit.

"Don't worry about it Aang, you're still ahead! Don't let up!" Jefferey's wife shouted. By now, all eyes were on the court as Aang recieved yet another serve. Instead of using the Jack Knife, Aang attempted to counteract the spin by adding a counter-spin. Jack scoffed at the attempted as the ball soared to the other side of Aang's court without rising above the net.

"It looks like Aang is in quite the situation now." Ryoga mumbled. He heard Jefferey chuckle behind him.

"Don't worry. That stubborn little kid won't lose like this." The man said pridefully.

**And here is chapter 4. I was meaning on putting more of a backstory for Aang in this chapter and then I wrote it. But I like the way it turned out. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the story. TRANSFORMERS 2 coming out soon. Totally gonna see it. please review**


	5. Chapter 5

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, might bring some other chars over!**

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 5**

**Still don't own this anime (BTW the new Prince of Tennis manga is pretty beast)**

The intense match between Aang and Jack continued well into the next hour, much into everyone's surprise and near exasperation. The two players seemed completely oblivious to everything except for their opponent and the tennis ball that they was sailing back and for between them. By now, the two were in a tiebreak with each boy having six games under his belt. Aang's foster parents were cheering louder than anyone, although Ryoga doubted that the Chinese native could hear them. Ryoga had found himself multiple critiquing every move made by the players and had to force himself to keep from talking, though ocassionally one of the Oaks would talk to him.

By now, it was Aang's serve and he still looked completely fired up, as opposed to Jack's calm, sly, cat-like eyes. As Aang tossed the ball into the air, everyone tensed up; Aang had the advantage and this play could easily end the match. Aang could practically see himself winning as his racquet hit the ball. The small green tennis ball, which was tattered and ripped from Jack's spin strikes, sailed as far left as it legally could but Jack only moved at the last second. The return was smooth and the ball flew parallel above the baseline, causing Aang to chase the ball. As he ran, Aang noticed the ball began to deviate from its original straight course. The second before he returned the shot, the ball made a sharp curve towards him. He reflexively raised his racquet to protect his face.

"Shit, no!" He shouted in English as the ball was lobbed into the air. The way Jack ran up and then jumped for the smash reminded Aang of a panther he had seen once. Every muscle in his opponent's body seemed to be involved with the jump. Aang tensed up. Jack had already proved multiple times that his smashes were no joke. While they weren't especially powerful, Jack had this ability to predict Aang's movement and change his smash direction at the last second. As soon as Jack hit the ball, Aang twitched toward his left and silently cursed as Jack smashed. Aang began to turn right when he noticed that Jack's smash was going to the left.

Desperation pushed Aang to reach the ball. He had to reach it; he was so close to winning.

_Just one more shot!_ He thought as he lunged for the ball. The crowd cheered loudly as Aang successfully returned the ball and stood up. Jack's face was a mixture of rage and shock, but that face quickly changed to one of rage and determination. Jack felt his frown turn into a smile as an idea began to creep into his head. From his head, he could hear his older sister warning against it, but Jack's ignored her voice. All he was focused on was getting this point and then destroying Aang. Of course, he had never actually successfully used this new technique, but that wasn't about to stop Jack. Desperation and adrenaline were flowing through his veins.

_I will not lose!_

**-- _Seven Months Ago_ --**

_"Geez Jack, give it up, you can't take my own trick." Rachel Shine said cockily. She was a beautiful girl, with long and wavy reddish-brown hair that cascaded down to her middle back. She had green eyes and wore a disappointingly average outfit consisting of a pair of basketball shorts and a tanktop. Across from her, on the other side of the tennis court, was her kid brother Jack, looking suprisingly enraged and feral._

_"I'm going to get it! I promise you that." Jack retorted in a calm voice that was a few seconds ahead of his relaxing face. Rachel scoffed._

_"Please, you've taken all of my dances already, make up your own style. How lame would it be if you got on the tellie copying your big sister?"_

_"Don't be riduculous, by the time I get on TV, you'll probably already be a Grand Slam winner." Jack said as he walked toward his sister. Rachel tussled her brother's hair once he got within arm's reach before replying._

_"You know I'm not going into tennis -"_

_"I know I know, The Emmys are calling your name and all that rubbish." Rachel flicked her brother in the ear for his comment before continuing to talk about her dream._

_"It's not rubbish and my agent says I have a real shot!" She said defensively. Jack raised his hands in an apologetic manner and both siblings smiled. By now the two were on the bleachers, looking into the London sun, both envisioning their dreams. For a while, there was silence, then Jack spoke up._

_"So...do you really think I could get on TV?"_

_"Of course! And how's this: I promise to be there on your television debut. No matter what."_

**-- Present_ --_**

"Eleventh Dance: Cleopatra." Jack said to himself as his racquet touched the ball. There was a quick movement and then the ball was gone. Aang watched the ball memorized as it sailed way out of bands. Snapping out of his state of awe, Aang went after the ball. From the stands, the crowd was stunned as they watched the ball make a huge circle around the entire court before hitting Aang's side of the net, which kept it from completing its circle. For a few seconds, there was silence. Aang looked at the ball as if it were an alien egg. A huge grin broke over Jack's face and in the stands, Rachel laughed. The rest of the crowd cheered. Aang, on the other hand, was stunned. His consternation gave way to anger and the glare he gave Jack could freeze hell over. He felt his temper rise and allowed the feeling of the Bloodlust rush over him.

Jack tensed up in such a way that he was almost identical to a cat. From the stands, Tezuka gulped. Now, the match was going to begin.

**Hey guys, sorry but school has been beastin my ass all over the place. But now, I'm updating this in an awesome double update. Please enjoy this and chapter 6!**


	6. La Pantera Contra El Diablo

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, might bring some other chars over!**

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 6**

**Final Destin8ion is currently dueling with Darth Vader in a tournament to decide the new owner of Prince of Tennis (until then, it's not mine)**

**_La Pantera VS El Diablo_**

Jack bounced the ball up and down as his eyes took in every inch of Aang's body. The latter's entire body was tensed and his brown eyes seemed red. Jack could feel Aang's will to win as could Aang feel Jack's. The tension between the two lay over the crowd like a blanket, keeping them all silent. Nobody moved and nobody breathed as the ball rose from Jack's hand. The silver and gold from Jack's racquet seemed to shine as he served the ball. The ball had barely bounced by the time Aang had returned it. Jack was barely able to swat the speeding from his face. Aang didn't stop and aimed for Jack's face again. The Brit effortlessly countered the shot and stepped backwards, taking his normal defensive position. The two fell back into their Jack Knife-Reversal war for a while until Aang began hitting stronger and stronger shots.

"Hey Tezuka, is it me, or is Aang playing similar to Kirihara from Rikkaidai?"

"No, it's not you. Aang is deliberately aiming for Jack's face and body. Even so, Jack's reflexes are a good counter to Aang's dangeorus style." From above them, Ryoga said nothing. Mr. Oak had began to fret at Aang's new state of playing. From what Ryoga could gather, it had always been a vice for Aang and Ryoga could see why. Anyone without the reflexes that Jack used to protect himself would have been destroyed by now. The two tennis players were still on their first rally as Aang began to press harder and harder. Jack found himself using all he had to defend himself. In order to give himself some air, and a possible point, Jack performed the Eleventh Dance. The ball had barely started to curve when Aang returned with a ferocity and power than no one expected.

"Terracotta!" Aang shouted as Jack unexpectedly took a step forward. The Terracotta shot slammed into his racquet and it took everything Jack had to return the shot. And to everyone's surprise, Aang performed another Terracotta shot. But this time, Jack looked at the ball that seemed to come towards him in slow motion. His insightful eyes completely memorized the shot's spin and he rose his racquet.

"Twelfth Dance: Alexander." From the stands, Rachel Shine had an confused look on her face. Understanding then dawned upon her. This wasn't one of her dances. It was Jack's own dance!

"You go Jack!" She shouted as loud as she could, standing up in order to see the shot better. The ball circled tightly around Aang, leaving him completely unable to return. As a last desperate act, he lobbed the ball. Jack seemed to already be in the air.

"Thirteenth Dance: Romeo." Jack said to himself as he smashed the ball. The ball made a crescent like shape and it sank towards the ground. Aang looked completely enraged as he did a two handed backhand shot that went so fast only a select few in the stands could even see it. Another thing almost everyone missed was Jack's sprint toward the baseline.

**--**

"And the winner, 7-6 in this incredible match, Jack Shine!" The referee announced as the results popped up on the large screen for the boys. Jack was sure that he could hear his sister's piercing scream above the cheers of the entire crowd. He turned to Aang and was surprised to see his extended.

"That was a good game, you'd better win for me." Aang said in a voice completely devoid of emotion. Jack nodded solemnly as he shook his opponent's hand. To both boys, the handshake seemed unreal. The match was over. The match that seemed to take a year was finally over. The two released each other's hands and looked up into the crowds, searching for their respective audiences. As soon as everyone was ushered out of the court, the next matches were displayed.

**Kunimitsu Tezuka vs George King**

**Quinton Lee vs Leonard Wolfe**

**Angela Martinez vs Isabella Loba**

**Dominique Reign vs Yuki Kaisuke**

**--**

_"Tezuka-kun! It's me, Tsubame! I wish you so much luck on the Australian Open and I'm soooo proud of you!! And don't forget to send us pictures. Bye Kuni-kun!"_

**Sorry this chapter is so short, but I want to save Tezuka's battle for the next chapter, so you guys are going to have to wait for that to come out. Also, we're also gonna check up on every one else's matches, so that should be fun. BTW, Tsubame (from the quote) is an OC I made. Well see ya guys later.**


	7. Tezuka's Australian Open Debut!

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, might bring some other chars over!**

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 7**

**Okay, so the reason I ditched my stories for like a year: You see, there was this monkey and he was all like bwahahahahaha, and i was all like "why is you laughin foo?" and he was all like "cuz i can bizznitch" then he ate me. SO, i am just getting out of the monkey's stomach and the first thing i did was run here to update my stories. I promise, 3 chapters per story sometime today or this week. so, deuces and enjoy the story.**

Appearance-wise, there was not much difference between Tezuka and his opponent, George King. They both had lean physiques and a calm expression. However, while Tezuka had glasses and blond hair, George had curly brown hair that fell to his ears. The first serve went to George, so Tezuka simply waited, formulating various strategies. He began to focus as George tossed the ball into the air. Before George's racquet had even made contact with the ball, Tezuka had identified the Bullet Serve. As predicted, the serve was clocked at 100mph. Tezuka returned it easily. Tezuka's plan was to save all special moves until the last possible second, so while he still won the game 40-15, it took him a lot longer than expected.

"Geez Ryoma, I thought you said this guy was good. He seems pretty average to me." Kevin said nonchalantly as he watched Tezuka serve the ball. Tezuka's serve went 95mph.

"Well one, Kevin, average by your standards _is_ good and two, he's not trying. He's probably trying to make as little of an impression as possible so early in the tournament." Ryoma retorted, causing Kevin to chuckle slightly.

"Yeah I guess you're right. But still, I was kind of expecting more." The blond replied. Ryoma shrugged, never taking his eyes off the match. Tezuka had won the second game 40-love, meaning it was now George's turn to serve. Despite being down by two games, George looked completely at ease as he used the Bullet Serve again. This time it went 105mph. Still, Tezuka returned it effortlessly and soon after, it was Tezuka's point. George served again, the service speed not changing. Tezuka replied with a quick cross-court shot that forced George into the back. Tezuka was about to take another point by hitting the ball to the opposite side of the court when George miraculously returned the shot. Slowly but surely, George was getting closer and closer to the net. Then Tezuka realized that by now, he would have already been at the 40-point mark, if he hadn't already started the next game.

Tezuka mentally cursed at himself for letting his guard down and allowing George to get better. Regardless, George was still playing at a sub-par level and Tezuka managed to get the point.

"I think I'm starting to get how this guy gets his wins." Kevin said thoughtfully. Ryoma didn't reply, which Kevin interpreted as Ryoma wanting him to continue. "This guy starts at a really low-level player who specializes in serves in order to make his opponent think of him as weak. Then slowly, without the other player noticing, he gets better and better until it's too late for the other player to start a counterattack."

"It's brilliant really." Ryoga said, appearing behind Kevin, much to the younger boy's annoyance.

"Yeah." Ryoma said, finally turning around. However, before anything else could be said, the referee's startling call made everyone pay attention the match.

"Deuce!"

**In Japan**

"COME ON TEZUKA-SENPAI!!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!" Momoshiro Takeshi shouted, his voice filling the entirety of Fuji Syusuke's small room. The people inside of the cramped room expressed various levels of annoyance, but nobody openly challenged Momo's enthusiasm. They all felt the same way.

"According to the data I've managed to collect, this George guy just skipped a couple of skill levels. He went from being a sub-par beginner to the level of some of us in such a short time." Inui Saduharu rambled. Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Inui, you exaggerate...or your data is incorrect. I've caluclated that his current skill level is slightly below that of Momoshiro-kun and Akaya-kun, but above that of Oishi-san and the Rokakku team." Yanagi Renji stated. The tension in the room began to become tense, until the referee on TV made the call that George had caught up to Tezuka, tying up the score 3-3. The room went dead silent.

"LET'S GO TEZUKA-SENPAI!!!!" Momo shouted again, much louder than before.

"Hey, shut the hell up, you're too damn loud!" Kaidoh shouted over him.

"What was that you stupid snake?!?!" Momo shouted back. The two shouted back and forth at each other until Fuji's soft, calm voice cut through their argument.

"Would you too mind toning it down some? I can't hear the television." The brunette said, opening his eyes just enough so that his kohais could see his annoyance. The two quickly sat down and glued their eyes to the TV screen. "Thank you."

"Of course Fuji-senpai!" Momo and Kaidou said in unison. Everyone else in the room looked at each other uneasily.

"Very nice Fuji-kun." Yukimura Seiichi said.

**At the Open**

The match between Tezuka and George was becoming heated. Even those audience members who had been turned off by Tezuka's earlier domination were watching eagerly. The score was 15-15 and George was on the offensive, keeping Tezuka on the baseline. The two volleyed back and forth for what seemed like forever until Tezuka managed to score a point. George had a huge, and slightly creepy, grin on his face as he served the ball, this time clocking on around 145mph. Tezuka returned the ball with all the intensity in the world on his face. George attempted a cross-court shot, but Tezuka was at the net before the ball could gain any momentum and earned himself another point. George's next serve was clocked at 155mph, yet somehow Tezuka managed to get a return ace.

"Game Tezuka, 4 games to 3!" The referee shouted.

It was now Tezuka's turn to serve. George tensed up in anticipation as Tezuka threw the ball into the air. Tezuka's serve was 130mph, which George easily returned. Tezuka however, managed an extremely fast forehand that George accidently lobbed. Tezuka delivered a powerful smash that clocked in at 145mph and earned Tezuka a point. To everyone's surprise, Tezuka once again began to dominate the match. Even George seemed confused by his opponent's dramatic increase in skill. In what seemed like no time, Tezuka had won the fifth game. Then it was George's turn to serve once again.

"Looks like it's time for me to go 110 percent." George said to himself as he bounced the ball up and down. Time seemed to slow down as he tossed the ball into the air. A second after his racquet made contact, the speedometer read 212mph...

**OH SCHZNAP!!! Will George make a comeback , or is it too late for _him_ to make a comeback. Anyway, i hope you guys like this, cuz my computer freakin died like 8x while i was writing this (no, just my internet connection) so I had to start from scratch again and again and again and I was all depressed and junk. But then I read some of y'all's reviews and I was all like "I WILL I WILL OVERCOME!! So thanks guys**

_OII! TEZUKA-SENPAI, it's me! Horio! Guess what? I'm the Seigaku Captain, how awesome is that?!?! You are such a huge inspiration! Good luck at the Australian Opens Tezuka-Senpai!!!_


	8. Yudan Sezu Ni Ikou

**For the year after he left Seigaku, Ryoma practically disappeared. Now he's back and armed with a completely new and improved tennis style; ready to take on the Australian Open. But first, he has to get pass the Jr. Tennis Player Prelims. Featuring Tezuka, Kevin, Inoue, Shiba, possibly Atobe, might bring some other chars over!**

**Reappearance of a Samurai**

**Chapter 8**

**the doctor says the stomach acid should stop burning after a good 10 weeks. until then, i don't own Prince of Tennis **

Tezuka's racquet collided with the 212mph ball that George had served. He barely managed to return the ball as a lob. Without hesitation, George jumped into the air to deliver a devastating smash that hit the ground so hard that the ball didn't bounce back up.

"...holy shit..." Kevin swore, stunned by the smash he had just witnessed. The entire stadium was in awe as one of the aides ran to retrieve the ball. There was a small crater where the ball had hit the ground. Tezuka quickly prepared himself when he saw George winding up for another power serve. Then and there, Tezuka decided that the only way to win while keeping his style a secret was too use the styles of everyone he had ever encountered. As George's racquet hit the ball a second time, Tezuka's eyes began to glow white. George's Ape Serve was returned by a Super Rising shot, which George returned with an insanely powerful forehand. Tezuka responded by using the Hadokyu.

**In Japan**

"It would appear that Tezuka wants to get this match over as quickly as possible." Sanada noted as he watched Tezuka use a huge range of moves from nearly everyone in the room. Surprisingly, George managed to return every one of them before finally scoring a point of his own.

"Yes, George's skill level has increased exponentially. By now, he is equal to or even above Tezuka." Renji said, awe-struck. The room began to grow tense as George's serve rose to 230mph.

"That's faster than the Neo Scud Serve we faced!" Eiji exclaimed, his eyes captivated by the movement on the television screen. To everyone's relief, Tezuka managed to score the next two points, bringing him to the match point.

**At the Open**

"George is getting tired." Ryoga stated.

"Who wouldn't, hitting serves like that. And then he's returning just about shot Tezuka throws at him. This match is really good all of a sudden." Kevin said as he watched George force a deuce. The world seemed to stop as both players did something nobody expected. Tezuka switched his racquet from his right to left hand, while George went from his left hand to right hand.

"Whoa, what's he doing?" Kevin asked.

"Tezuka's a southpaw." Ryoma answered without looking.

**Japan**

"Nya, did anyone notice Tezuka was using his right hand?!" Eiji asked loudly. Everyone turned to the data experts, who said nothing.

**Open**

George's serve went 250mph and Tezuka returned the ball with the Jack Knife. George let the ball bounce and then slammed the ball towards the baseline. The world seemed to gasp as Tezuka lobbed the ball using Oishi's Moon Volley. George's body seemed to crawl upwards as he prepared to smash the ball. At 260pmh, the smash seemed unstoppable. And yet Tezuka returned the shot using the upgraded version of Fuji's Higuma Otoshi: Kirin Otoshi. In another impossibility, George had managed to get to the baseline in enough time to return the ball with enough force to reach the opposite baseline. Tezuka used Tachibana's Abare Dama, which George countered with a much stronger version of the Reversal. Tezuka quickly made his way to the net in order to use Eiji's Kikumaru Beam, which George countered quick enough to earn him the point.

A sigh of relief came from the crowd and was quickly caught up again as George took no time in serving again. After another intense volley, Tezuka had scored the point.

"Deuce, again!" Of course, in George's aggressiveness, he didn't even wait for the referee to finish speaking before he served again. To Ryoma's surprise, Tezuka returned the shot with Tsubame Gaeshi.

"Advantage, Tezuka!" George served again, this serve breaking his personal record of 280mph. Nobody heard Louis Wolfe announce that George had set a world record for fastest tennis serve as George forced another deuce. The two continued to win a point, lose a point for another hour until finally, Tezuka managed to win using Kaidou's Boomerang Snake. For the longest time no noise was made. Then, the entire arena erupted into applause. From the stands, Jack Shine was stunned.

"To think, I might have to face that soon." He said to himself.

**A good amount of time later**

"Wow Tezuka, that was one helluva match!" Ryoga said loudly once the four boys had entered their room.

"Thank you." Tezuka replied, still thinking over his match. His catchphrase floated through his head. _Never let your guard down, never let your guard down, never let your guard down_. Tezuka had almost lost because he had let his guard down. He realized now-Tezuka was bought to life by the ringing of his cell phone. He blinked before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Ah Tezuka, a splendid match indeed. Exactly what I expect of my rival!" Came the deep, arrogant voice that belonged to none other than Atobe Keigo.

"Hello Atobe-san, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing very good, simply throwing a party to celebrate your first win."

"Um...thank you very much...but you are aware-"

"That the Australian Open hasn't started yet? Of course I know Tezuka. Well I must get going now, just wanted to say congratulations. Oh, and I'm sure you of all people wouldn't need to be reminded, but still, keep your guard up. You've barely scratched the surface of this tournament, so you have to stay on your toes. Oh, and tell Echizen I said hi." Tezuka stared at the phone for a while, Atobe's words ringing in his ears.

"Thank you...Atobe."

**nya, you guys are gonna have to wait till later for chapter 9 to come out, but alas do not fear, FOR IT SHALL BE DONE!!!! thanks for reading and props to xDarklightx, geez kid, you read and reviewed ch.8 in like 2 minutes. Freakin' beast!**

_Ah Tezuka, it's me, Yukimura. I just wanted to wish you good luck. Oh, and if you see Echizen-kun, tell him that I'm waiting._


End file.
